Nevada County picayune., 1887-02-09
CHARLEMACNE.
Written for the PlCAYrSE.I

l
 This great man was born A. D. 742. probably at Ak la.Chareile' His life is comprehendrd m three words conquoror, Legislator and educator. At the death of ms father. Repinle. Bref, he became joint ruler with his brother Carlo man. over the Franks. Four years later the death of his brother Ieit him sole ruler. The Frankish em- pire became a power for good upon the adjacent nations. The poteii' tialitv of his own nation, was CharIenia gne's opportnnitv Eu roneau and American civilization to-day bear the impress ot the tat of this iHustrious maE Whatever mav be true of the influence oi the church upon Europe before Charlemagne's day, it is certainly true that he converted an ecclesi- astical fiction into a political fact. His greatest desire was to re- press barbarism. and carry the light of civilization to his neigh bors. To do this, he was constant ly on the field, "from the south to the northeast, from the Ebro to the Elbe and Weser." He stayed the Mohomedans in the south, and the Germans and the Sclavonlans in the north.
 At the request of Pope Stephen
 III, Charlemagne marched his armies oyer the Alps and snbiu- oated the Lombards, thus uniting the crowns of Lombardy and France.
 The resolute Saxons were con onered aftera long, continued war. and finally he induced them to be- come Christians-how much in name and how much in spirit each one must determine for himself. i Charlemagne also gave relief to the Arabian rulers of Spain against the Osman Caliph of Cordova. It was in this war t.,at Roland fell in the famous pass. Roucesyalles. | He was crowned as the success sor of the Roman Caesars by Pope Leo I'll, on Christmas day, A. D.. 800. amid the exclamation of the people. "Long life and victory to Charles, the most piOus Augustus, crowned by God the great and pa cific Emperor of the Roman He became. in the latter part of his reign, one of the then great rulers of the world. Although he was often favored by the Pope, still he was Independent, and gen. orally did things his own way. When the second council of Nice authorized image worship, he took strong grounds against it. He dictated the Carolinian book on the subject. At this time most of the learned latin writers were Britons and Hibernians. The sciences were studied but little.> It was a dark clond that hung over Europe, and the first star ot any lustIe that shown upon the prob lem was the hero of the Christian laity.
 He gathered around him the learned men of the times, and built schools and libraries. "Hc labored assiduOGsly for the eleva- ton and enlightenment of the peo- ple."
 In the life of this influential man there are exploits to be commended and convictions of purpose to be praised; but there are means to be condemned and vices to be de- spised. He was aggressive. and vet only executed the plans of his 1 father. He was liberal in his sup hort to the Roman church, but his own interests were thereby ad- yanoed. He honored religion. yet baptism was d sign of subjugatlon of people. He kept armies and still regarded missionaries and churches as the surest protection. He brought men to recognize Christianity, but employed very often the wrong power. He was his own emperor, but was frequent ly cruel. In this life some things are to be emulated and others to be summed. Still it must not be forgotten that Charlemagne must be viewed on the background of the eighth instead of the nine teenth century. MACK. ,